1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a keyboard. More specifically, the present invention relates to the keyboard and a computer system which can automatically identify information, such as nomenclatures (language), a layout, or the like of keys of the computer keyboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer keyboards, such as IBM PCs, have approximately five types, depending on physical layouts thereof, for example, 101 keys (US type), 106 keys (Japanese type), and the like, as a full size keyboard with a numeric keypad. In addition, there are approximately 40 types of keyboards depending on nomenclatures (languages) of the keys. In order to display characters matching with the nomenclatures of the keyboard on a display screen of the computer, it is necessary to initialize (cause the computer to recognize) key information (on the nomenclatures and the layout) of the keyboard to be used in the computer during the computer's start-up process. This initial setting means selecting of a corresponding character table of an operating system (OS) in accordance with the nomenclatures of the keyboard.
In a conventional method, this initial setting has been manually performed for a computer in accordance with information (on nomenclatures and a layout) of the keyboard to be used. A method for automatically performing the initial setting includes, for example, a method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-61585. This publication discloses the method by which a controller reads an ID unique to the keyboard stored in a memory of the keyboard to transmit the ID to the computer. According to this method, however, it is required to preliminarily write the ID unique to the keyboard in the memory of the keyboard. Namely, this requires operation of inputting the corresponding ID one by one, or preparation of different memories to which a unique ID is written according to the nomenclature layout of the keyboard. Hence, this will cause an excessive trouble (entry work, or preparation and assembly of different memories by nomenclature layout of keyboards) during the manufacturing process of the keyboard, and it is much more likely to cause an inputting or assembling mistake (mismatch of the ID and the nomenclature layout).